The Sorting Ceremony

A low murmur of voices came from a door on the right side of the hall, but Professor McGonagall did not lead them inside.

Instead, she stopped and turned around, her stern gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"Welcome to Hogwarts,"

she said.

"Soon, you will enter the Great Hall and undergo the Sorting Ceremony, which will determine which House you join. This is very important. For the next seven years of your schooling, your House and the school will be your home. You will attend classes with your Housemates, live together, and share meals together. I hope you will regard one another as family members living under the same roof."

"There are four Houses at the school: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has a glorious history and has produced outstanding wizards."

Professor McGonagall's gaze lingered briefly on Malfoy. The spell had already worn off, but Mr. Malfoy's condition could hardly be called good.

His eyes were red and swollen, his clothes disheveled, as though he had been mauled by a troll.

Professor McGonagall paused, then fixed Vaughan with a stern glare.

"I know some things happened on the train today—very bad things... but I hope this will be the last time! Once you enter your respective Houses, excellent conduct will earn points for your House, while rule-breaking will cost it points. At the end of every school year, the House with the most points will win the House Cup. That is a great honor. I hope everyone will obey the school rules and bring glory to your House!"

Vaughan looked utterly innocent beneath Professor McGonagall's piercing stare, as though nothing had happened.

The corner of the diligent deputy headmistress's eye twitched a few times before she continued to the other freshmen, who were silent as cicadas. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin. I suggest you tidy yourselves up. The entire school will be watching you soon."

With that, she turned and walked into the Great Hall.

The silent crowd immediately let out a collective breath.

Draco Malfoy hurriedly smoothed his hair and tugged at his robes, trying to straighten them out.

Harry and Ron also reached up to fuss with each other's hair. Hermione pressed her lips together tightly and slightly adjusted her now-silky long hair.

The others hurriedly tidied themselves up as well.

But before long, someone cried out in alarm. Vaughan looked up and saw more than twenty ghosts emerging from the walls.

The translucent spirits whispered among themselves. Some looked kindly, some were furious, and some tried to speak with the freshmen.

The new students below held their breath again. No one dared make a sound.

Vaughan, however, was rather interested in them.

When he had read the novels before, he had wanted to understand how these ghosts were formed. But this was clearly not the time.

Once Professor McGonagall returned, the ghosts drifted away. She swept her eyes over the freshmen again and said, "Everything is ready. Form a single line and follow me!"

The freshmen hurried after her, passing through the open doors of the Great Hall. The four long tables on either side of the path were already filled with older students, all watching them with curiosity or scrutiny.

Vaughan spotted Percy, Fred, and George. They were waving at him and Ron.

Vaughan returned their greeting with a smile. As for Ron, he was so nervous he did not see them at all.

Just as Vaughan knew it would be, the ceiling of the Great Hall displayed a starry sky, casting a soft, tranquil glow below.

At the front of the line, a battered old hat sat on a stool and began to sing.

Expressionless, Vaughan cast a spell to seal his ears. Only after it finally stopped wriggling, and Professor McGonagall stepped to the front of the line and unfolded the parchment in her hands, did he remove it.

"Hannah Abbott!"

Mm, a familiar name...

One by one, the freshmen stepped forward, put on the Sorting Hat, and heard it announce which House they had been assigned to.

Of the people Vaughan knew, Hermione was the first to go up. The girl jogged to the stool, and the Sorting Hat covered her head. After thinking for a moment, it shouted, without surprise, "Gryffindor!"

Then came Harry, also sorted into Gryffindor. The moment the Sorting Hat spoke, the entire Gryffindor House erupted, everyone pounding hard on the tables.

Vaughan narrowed his eyes at the teachers' table. Professor Snape, whose face was already stern, looked even colder. Dumbledore, wearing half-moon spectacles, had a sincere and delighted smile on his deeply lined old face—so far, everything was within his control.

Vaughan smiled as well.

The Savior's story began from this moment. The greatest forces in the current wizarding world were about to engage in open and secret struggles around the Savior. He was glad to observe and explore from their side!

Who knew how long passed before they finally reached the letter W.

Because of the first letter of his name, Ron was called early. Under everyone's gaze, the boy did not seem to know where to put his hands or feet, nearly walking with the same arm and leg forward as he made his way to the Sorting Hat.

The battered old hat shouted the instant it touched Ron's scalp, "Gryffindor!"

Clap clap clap clap—

Applause broke out from the Gryffindor table. Percy loudly told the people beside him, "That's my brother!"

Fred and George whistled, jumping up and down.

When Professor McGonagall called, "Vaughan Weasley," they pounded the table even harder.

"Vaughan! Vaughan!"

"Gryffindor! Gryffindor!"

The other little lions were infected by the twins' enthusiasm and joined in the boisterous chanting with laughter.

Amid the cheers, Vaughan, maintaining his Occlumency as he walked toward the Sorting Hat, let out a sigh in his heart:

"Sorry, Fred, George!"

Over the years, he had long since come to understand himself. His thirst for knowledge, his pursuit of power, his ambition for authority... there was no way he could be sorted into Gryffindor.

The moment the Sorting Hat lightly settled over his head, Vaughn heard a small voice by his ear:

"Hmm—very, very perfect Occlumency. You can't fool me. I embody the most advanced knowledge and wisdom of the four Founders! Hmm, those who master Occlumency usually have a hidden side and enormous secrets."

"A cunning child. Clearly, two Houses do not suit you. I shall sort you into—"

"SLYTHERIN!"

At the Sorting Hat's loud cry, Gryffindor's cheerful atmosphere came to an abrupt halt—Percy, who had just begun to rise, froze in place; Fred and George, who had been bouncing in their seats, toppled over headfirst; Hermione covered her mouth in shock; Harry and Ron stared wide-eyed.

Even Professor McGonagall, who had heard Vaughn's name before, could not help turning to look at Dumbledore.

The greatest wizard of the century watched Vaughn's back with a grave gaze.

For a moment, the entire Great Hall fell silent.

Only after a moment did Dumbledore clear his throat softly, signaling Professor McGonagall to continue.

Professor McGonagall somewhat flusteredly removed the Sorting Hat from Vaughn's head.

The other students gradually came back to their senses as well. Looking at Vaughn's distinctive Weasley red hair, they whispered among themselves, their murmurs gathering into a noisy buzz.

Vaughn ignored it all. All he saw was the system panel that appeared before his eyes:

[Main Quest ①: Join Hogwarts (Completed)]

[Reward: 1 Talent Point, 50 Magic Units]

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